Freedom
by Kyouko.Nashida
Summary: She was there for me, like Jade never had been. Her eyes were soft and caring, so unlike Jade's ice. They were so different. I still felt attached to Jade, but Tori was... Tori was Tori. Tori was beautiful. ;Cori-Cat/Tori; Don't like, don't read
1. I Know Jade Can't See It

Disclaimer: I do not own VicTORious. Dan Schneider does. I do envy him for it. But it's still his *sigh*

A/N: Hello people! I decided to give a shot at writing a VicTORious fanfiction, due to the sad lack of Cat/Tori(Cori) fics out there. So, yeah. It starts off a bit slow, sorry about that. Once the second chapter is finished, things should be smoother.

''''

_**Freedom**_

Chapter 1: I Know Jade Can't See It

She glanced over at me, and my eyes automatically dropped back down to my notes. Already, I am distracted. I wonder if anyone could ever decipher my notes. They were covered in doodles, and what words there were seemed out of place. Only I knew why or how these words and drawings translated into exactly what was on the board. I mean, I've never met someone who _really_ understood why a bunny doodle with the word 'scrambled' written on it said to me, "This will be on a test!" And, probably, no one ever would.

Realizing I was getting more and more lost in my thoughts, I became frustrated with myself. Focus, Cat. Focus. Which means that I'm looking over at Jade again. Part of me wants her to look up at me again. The other part of me wants her to never look at me at all. Either way, she doesn't glance my way.

The teacher writes something on the board, and I'm scratching in my notes again. Ok, so that's... A cat ear doodle, the word 'text', and an apple. For a few minutes, I keep my attention on the lesson. But, after a while, Calculus becomes a bit of a drag.

I went back to staring at Jade's back. She seemed tensed up. She probably wasn't understanding something again. Deciding to try and give her a hand later, I let my mind scatter.

Next thing I knew, the lunch bell rang.

As if by instinct, I called out to Jade as she put her things in her bag. "Jade!" Her cold black eyes glared over at me. It hurt a little, that she always looked at me that way. Nonetheless, I snatched up my things and danced to her seat. "Hey, hey!" I winked at her, a huge grin on my face.

"Yeah. Hi," she growled, flipping the colored part of her hair back.

I placed my notebook in front of her, open to today's lesson. Jade glowered at it, deliberating.

When I said nothing, she snapped, "And _what_ is this?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" An automated response.

Jade callously fingers over my notes. "_Why_ did you put this _illegible_ thing on my desk?"

I smiled at her. "Sorry. I should have checked first!"

Her studded eyebrow shot up, and I knew she was about to berate me again. I probably deserved a bit of it. It wasn't my specialty, putting things into words.

Still, I spoke again before she had the chance, my face and gestures just as bubbly as before, "You kind of looked confused during the lesson. I guess I just thought that maybe I could help you."

Jade's pristine marble features became even more incredulous than usual. Lately, I just keep on seeming to do the wrong thing. She quickly looked over my notes.

"Maybe I _was_ a little lost." Her voice was like a strange kind of honey—sweet in a way that terrified me. She smiled like a starving rapid pig about to utterly destroy and devour a venerable, innocent mouse for it's next meal. And yes, I do know that pigs don't eat mice. Or at least, that's what I'm told. "Lost or not, there's no plausible way _you_ would be of any use. From what _I_ can see, you may as well not have even been in class today." She gestured to the pad of paper, "These are not notes, but the ramblings of the stupid, ignorant, and deeply insane. Help me? Am I really the one who needs help here?"

I wanted to interject, but I felt if I did, it would break my highly trained smile. Instead, I managed to giggle a little.

Those chilly black eyes, which I sadly had to admit I loved, pierced me again. "And my point has been proven. Now, where are the men in white? They really need to take you back where you belong."

It was a challenge not to counter her with my signature saying. I forced a laugh, answering her with fake enthusiasm, "Jeez, Jade! You really like to tease me." A slightly manic giggle escaped me. "Aww, are you secretly shy around me?" Reaching out, I touched her nose lovingly. And she looked like she wanted nothing more than to put my head through a shredder. Not the most comforting expression.

She huffed and zipped up her backpack. It looked as if she was just going to leave without saying anymore.

In fact, she didn't say more. However, she hesitated after turning towards the door. Her head turned to me and those eyes silently probed me. I quickly put my notebook away and stood next to Jade. I gave her a little smile. She simply stared at me for a moment. She began to walk, and I followed her as though she hadn't just shot my heart with her casual cruelty.

'''

I knew I romantically liked Jade. Jade knew it, too. Ever since she found out how I felt, she became increasingly critical of me. When we were all alone, she always kept me at a bit of a distance. She said she didn't want me too close until my crush was gone. Which was fine with me—I wanted this feeling to go away, too. Beck knew about me, too. He held no ill feelings for me. Actually, he often tried to make Jade ease up on me, though it was to no avail.

The thing I don't know is _why_ I liked Jade. It was quite clear that she was as icy as death itself. Yet, sometimes, ever so rarely, and only just a tiny bit, she showed there may be a heart in her somewhere, after all. Like, after she openly tried to rip up my own heart, from time to time, she would still wait up for me. It made no sense. She did it anyway.

I wish I could compare her to some kind of puppy; one that bit its owner as hard as it could, but patiently waited at home. Even when it could easily run away forever. Well, I guess I did just compare Jade to a puppy. Somehow, the comparison still wasn't quite the right fit.

One key difference between Jade and the puppy is that I'm pretty sure Jade waits purely out of what little pity she has. The puppy waits out of loyalty. No one had ever been a 'puppy' for me before. To be honest, I didn't expect anyone to. I was a freak, after all.

Staring up in the dark at the ceiling of my room, my mind fluttered away again. Before I knew it, I was contemplating what it would be like to find an aquatic zebra who spoke three human languages and chat with him or her at the bottom of the sea. While drinking tea, of course. I wonder if crumpets would taste like coral down there. Hopefully not.

Speaking of hope, I hoped that one day someone would discover a real, live leprechaun. If I met him, maybe I could convince him to give me a tiny piece of a rainbow. Maybe I could put the rainbow in my heart, and then maybe... then maybe... maybe I could be set free. Free from liking Jade. Free from the harsh words I was told so often. Free from these skittering thoughts. Free from needing my medication. Free from feeling pain ever again.

I turned on my side and my eyes locked on the calendar on the wall. How could I have forgotten? Tomorrow was marked with a bright red Sharpie. Tomorrow was the Big Showcase at Hollywood Arts. I was only going to be a backup singer. That didn't matter. There was something about that day, though. Ever since the date for this year's Showcase was decided, I've felt like... like something was going to _begin_ then. Maybe that leprechaun would make an appearance. Probably not. Still, I can't shake this premonition. Finally, it was tomorrow. Now that it was so close, that feeling was stronger than ever.

I really wished I could think of something—anything—that seemed plausible that could alter my life tomorrow. Anything I thought of was either impossible or unrealistic. Which I guess are kind of the same thing. But not really. Huh.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow...

'''

A/N: Thanks for reading! *bows*


	2. Make it Shine

Disclaimer: VicTORiOUS is Dan Schneider's, and I take no claim on it. And Pokemon is owned by Satoshi Tajiri!

A/N: I don't usually do anything song-fic related, but it just felt so _right_ for this chapter.

On another note completely, I am the emotional type. So I was touched to tears(no joke, pathetic as that is) when I came on to see I had reviews already and people added the story to their alerts. Thank you so much. Thank you also to people who just read it. And this A/N is too long, so I'll stop now.

Chapter 2: Make it Shine

As I guzzled down as much water as I could, I pondered things. Unsurprisingly.

I had just finished my minor part of the Big Showcase. It had been a little more tiring than I had expected. Now, only two performances were left before we'd all be going home for the night. Home sounded good, but only for the food. My brother said he would cook me something special tonight. Maybe I could convince him to get me some candy. Or better yet, he could _make_ me some candy! He was actually well-versed in the ways of chocolate. He never wants to tell me why, but I think it has something to do with one of his ex-girlfriends. Probably the one who always somehow reminded me of a Pikachu. I wonder why the tips of Pikachu's ears are black? Don't get me wrong, I think they are cute, it just never made sense to me.

Then again, a lot of things just never made sense to me. Jade was probably at the top of that list. Or maybe I was. Either made sense for being the thing I made the least sense out of. Jade is so insensitive, and I am oversensitive. Liking her wasn't sensible. I've decided I like that word. Sense.

Speaking of sense, nothing has happened yet. Nothing that could justify that foreboding sense I had about today. It was getting late, and I doubted this _thing_ would start slash happen at home. The premonition was nothing more than excitement, I suppose. I don't like supposing that, though. There was still hope, and I was going to hold to that until the end.

I walked to the backstage area, where most of the other performers were.

I wasn't sure what I noticed first: Jade, or that Trina—Vegas, was it?—girl panicking with a very bloated tongue.

Lane—the guidance councilor—asked Trina where to find her family, then left in a rush. Huh. Maybe a hornet stung Trina's tongue? That would probably hurt more than a canker sore. If it really was a hornet, then he or she was likely just scared. Poor thing. I wonder if Trina tried to sing to it?

My thoughts were steered away from serenading bees when Jade began to move in the corner of my eye. She left the stage area, and I automatically chased after her. As I emerged from backstage into the audience, Jade was already settling in the seat next to Beck, her head on his shoulder. My pace slowed drastically, and I stared at them for what seemed like an eternity. Jade's vindictive gaze came upon me for a moment. I became frightened and sad and weak under the influence of the eyes of death.

What is it that I see in those eyes? Maybe I saw the Jade I knew before she knew I liked her. That Jade wasn't so bad to be around. This Jade no longer liked having me around.

Disheartened, I decided to just go home already. Right as I made that decision, a voice joined the piano music of the last performance of the night.

_Here I am_

_Once again_

I froze, then whirled around to see the owner of that velvety voice. She definitely was _not_ Trina, as I expected.

_Feelin' lost_

_But now and then_

_I breathe it in_

_To let it go_

She made a quick gesture towards André, and the tempo began to increase.

_And you don't know where you are now_

_Or what it would come to_

_If only somebody could hear_

There was something about her. Something that drew me in. Maybe as much as Jade drew me to her. Perhaps even more.

_When you figure out how,_

_You're lost in the moment_

_You disappear_

Right, I could just be lost in the moment. This was a girl I had never even seen before, after all...

_You don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action_

_You're never gonna fade, you'll be the main attraction_

_Not a fantasy_

Are you sure this isn't a fantasy? It wouldn't be the first time my mind got carried away.

_Just remember me_

_When it turns out right_

_'Cause you know that if you live in your imagination_

_Tomorrow you'll be everybody's fascination_

Somehow, it almost seems like these words were written for me. At the very least, I certainly live in my imagination. Not that anyone liked that about me.

_In my victory,_

_Just remember me_

_When I make it shine_

You're already victorious. Over what, I'm not sure, but you are. That's how I feel about it. You're already shining.

_You don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action_

_You're never gonna fade, you'll be the main attraction_

_Not a fantasy_

_Just remember me_

_When it turns out right_

Even if nothing at all turns out right, I promise, I'll remember you.

_'Cause you know that if you live in your imagination_

I do.

_Tomorrow you'll be everybody's fascination_

_You_ will.

_In my victory,_

You've won.

_Just remember me_

I swear.

_When I make it shine_

Who are you?

Even after the curtains were drawn, I stared, stunned, where the brunette muse last stood. For once, it seemed my racing mind came to a complete stop. Too much of a stop, even.

And abruptly, the stage was revealed again.

André grabbed everyone's attention. I was the exception, my eyes trained once more on that girl.

"... doesn't know if she's good enough to go to school here. What do you people think?" I realized what André was saying with a jolt. She didn't attend Hollywood Arts after all. This was her chance in.

The audience roared in support, much to my relief. Which confused me, but I was too focused to think about it now. Instead, I strained my ears to hear if the girl said anything.

"... Ok!" She exclaimed, overjoyed.

_This_ was it, then.

She was it.

Something made me look to Jade again. She didn't look pleased, to say the least. Beck seemed interested, and she pulled his attention away from the girl and into a kiss.

I felt the familiar pang in my heart at the sight. Turning my head from them, my eye caught on the girl yet again. It helped. It didn't fix anything, but her smile acted as a balm to cool the burning.

Things certainly_ are_ going to change from here on out.

'''''

On the fourth ring, André finally answered his phone. "Little Red?"

I didn't miss a beat, "Hey, André! Your song was fantastic in the Big Showcase tonight!"

You could almost feel his smile through the phone, "Thanks a lot. Did you see what I saw during all that?"

"Do you mean that girl?" I nearly hesitated before I said anything. One of the cases in which thinking so quickly is an advantage.

André laughed, "Yeah, I do! She's my new friend—and weird as it is, she's Trina's little sister."

"Trina Vegas?" I sounded even bubblier than usual.

There was a brief silence, and André chuckled. "Vegas? I think you mean Vega. And yeah, that's her sister: Tori."

Tori. Tori. Tori. "Tori?" I said her name simply to feel the word on my tongue. As I thought, I liked the sensation. It reminded me of how it felt to say Jade's name. Subconsciously, I twirled my hair around and sighed.

"Cat! Hey, you there?" Oh. Whoops. Is there a way to learn how to focus when people talk to you?

"Sorry, André! I'm here." Something floated down in front of my face. "Oh my god! A baby spider!"

A moment's pause. "Why do you sound excited about a spider?"

Of course, this triggered one of my outbursts. "What's that supposed to mean?" Before he replied, I composed myself again. As much as I was ever composed, at least. "You have the weird bee thing, so I can like spiders." He sighed. "You know, this one time, I was at a restaurant with my uncle and uncle—and the waitress lady was surprisingly rude to us! She looked afraid when she made eye contact with me, and when I told her my order, she squeaked at me. Which was kind of cool, actually. You don't get squeaked at everyday!" I stopped, smiling.

"Uh, Cat? What was the point of that story?" He sounded amused.

"Oh, right! So, while we were eating dessert, a big spider came down from the ceiling onto the table! My uncles were really startled by it, and they complained to the waitress. But I thought it was friendly of the spider to come down to stay with us. And that's all."

His voice sounded uncomfortable when he responded, "Uh, okay then." Pause. "So, did you just call to say I was awesome?"

To be honest, I hadn't thought about it. Those had just been the words that had come from my mouth. "Yes! Bye André!" I hung up. He's probably used to that by now, though.

She was Tori, then. "Tori... Vega..." I tested it again.

"Cat! Hey, I finished the chocolates, let's eat!" He really made the chocolates! I love my brother.

"Yay! I'll be right there!" For the time being, I'll focus on the food. Maybe I'll understand more of what's going on if I get the chance to meet her soon. I hope I get that chance.

'''''  
''''

Thanks for reading~ Next chapter things will get started for real, I apologize if this chapter was a bit drag-ish.


	3. Conflicting Interests

Disclaimer: No, I do not own VicTORiOUS.

A/N: First, an apology for the freaking long wait. Thanks so much again to my readers and reviewers. At this point in the story, I have to use some dialogue from the actual series. I won't be putting in most dialogue between Cat and Tori in the series, but I will use some. This chapter will likely be the "worst" in those terms, mainly because this is when they meet and all that. I really need to stop writing such long A/Ns.

'''

Chapter 3: Conflicting Interests

First thing in the morning, and I'm already wanting to find out where Tori might be. Would the transfer go through that quickly, though? What needs to be done in a transfer, anyway? I wonder if-

"Hey, um!" Is that directed at me? I turned to see the speaker. "Can you tell-"

Whether for good or bad, I find the charming brunette from the stage talking to me. "Oh my god! You're Tori, right?" Oh, maybe I should have asked for her name before I used it. Even though I already knew it. I don't really want her to think I'm a stalker.

"Uh-huh." Well, it didn't seem to phase her after all. So I'm still safe, right?

"You were so awesome in the Big Showcase!" Just in case, that should cover how I knew who she was. I managed to calm down a little bit.

"Aww, thanks." My eyes caught on her smile. This smile wasn't threatening or fake. It wasn't Jade's.

I looked back into her eyes. "My name's Cat."

"Oh! Like the animal."

Despite her amusement, I couldn't help but get defensive. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! I-I love cats." Her response was confused, but sincere. Something in my ribcage skittered.

I felt a blush coming on. In an attempt to move the conversation along, I decided to agree with her, "Me too. They're so cute." It sets in more noticeably now. I embarrassed myself by freaking out at her a second ago.

I shouldn't have said that, I really shouldn't have said that. I felt a little sense of horror at myself, and as I thought about my actions, I realized something even worse. Where was I going? Tori was behind me, meaning I left in the middle of a conversation. Again. This conversation was more important than many others, though. There was no way I could just go back, right? That would be even weirder.

Once I got far enough away, I turned my head back to look at her. Robbie's with her. They talk for a while. I think for a little longer than she talked to me. It's hard to be sure of that, though, since I space out so often. If I hadn't spaced out, I'd still be talking to her. Do I need to find a better medication? I don't want to waste another chance... At least I had gotten the chance to talk to her at all. Hopefully, we could become friends.

Rex hits on her, and I rush away to Sikowitz's classroom. I hope she doesn't get whisked away by that mean puppet. Come to think of it, Rex hits on girls all the time. Do any of them ever go with it? What would someone do if they were dating a puppet? Rex probably wouldn't want Robbie to come with him on a date. But if Robbie didn't come, then Rex couldn't do anything, right? Would the girls just do whatever they wanted with him, then?

I stop and turn red. W-well, they could do whatever... No, bad thoughts. Bad thoughts. It's good I'm not puppet-sexual. Teehee, it sounds funny, though.

Looking around, I become aware that I'm already in Sikowitz's class. Jade isn't here yet. In that case, I'll just wait for class to start. I wonder if Tori is in my grade? I should have asked André last night. If she is in my grade, then maybe she'll be in Sikowitz's class with me. That would be really nice. Then I would have more to focus on than Beck and Jade flirting in there all the time. No one ever flirts with me. I mean, I know I'm insane, but it would be nice for that to happen just once at school. Even if it was by accident.

"Dude! Why are you rubbing my boyfriend?" Upon hearing Jade's voice, I snapped to attention.

My thoughts become quite jumbled when they register that Jade is talking to Tori. For a moment, I don't know which of them to focus on. Jade wins as Beck kisses her cheek. I forgot what was going on and simply admired Jade in her statuesque splendor.

"Oh my god, there's a huge fire!" Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! The room goes to chaos until Sikowitz boastfully explains that he was lying. Okay, as long as there's no real fire.

Everyone sat down, and Sikowitz formally introduced Tori to the rest of the class. It clicks that Tori really is in my class, and I can't help but grin and clap with a few others. Sikowitz quickly explains what improvisation is to Tori, then promptly selects Jade to lead the first group of the day.

Naturally, my gaze locks hard on her as she ascends the stage. She looks directly at me and points. "Cat," Before she even finished saying my name, I was rushing to join her on the stage. It was little things like her picking me first that made it hard to stop liking her. I nervously adjusted myself next to her as she named off a few more people. "Eli, Beck... And Tori." T-tori, too, then.

The subject and location are picked, and Jade asks Tori to go to the hall. She obeys and we begin the scene. As always, when Jade starts to act, I feel a rush of excitement. In my opinion, acting really suits her.

"I went to the animal shelter and got us... a _dog_." Jade leads Tori in, holding onto her arm. At the sight, I feel mixed up. Usually, I would only wish I were in the position of whoever Jade was touching, but now I would really like to be in either place.

Tori pauses, "Uhh... Yep. I'm the new family dog!" What is she... She's a dog. Earth dogs don't talk. When they know humans are listening, at least. Jade calls her on it, and then Tori gets down to play her role properly.

The scene resumes, and I excitedly get down and pet Tori. Her hair is fluffy and warm. And very clean. "Can the dog sleep in our room?" Beck, if something goes wrong now, I'm blaming you. There's no way you wouldn't know that would set Jade off more than she already was.

And all too soon, Jade is pouring coffee all over Tori's soft hair. And Tori's running away. And my thoughts are racing so quickly that they are blurring together and I don't know what's going on anymore.

I see Jade's smug expression after Tori leaves, and for once, I feel a burst of anger towards her. André gets up and goes after Tori. Part of me wishes I were the one following her, but something tells me to stay and deal with Jade directly first.

Beck tried to reason with her, and she casually ignored him. My anger rises and I lose control over myself. As I charge at Jade, her eyes widen and even Beck seemed startled. At the last second, he steps in my way and I collide roughly with his chest. Jade's face blanks and she blinks hard as she takes in the situation. Only then do I realize what I just was trying to do.

I was going to physically fight Jade. Jade, of all people. Slowly, Jade looks me up and down in disbelief. "... C-cat... You... were you honestly going to try and hurt me?" She whispered. This was a true rarity, for Jade to be so openly lost. However, she composed herself before anyone other than Beck and I can notice. She continues in a much stronger voice, "Cat, never try that one again." Her eyes told me more than her words did. If I messed up and went after her, I would lose her forever.

I knew there was that risk. Why did I do it, then? Was this stranger worth putting my relationship with Jade at risk?

'''

No one was certain if Tori would be coming to class again or not. Jade seemed pretty sure of herself, and she was quite contented at the prospect of not dealing with Tori. She never came back to class, yesterday. André returned, and said simply that Tori was upset. He left it at that, and class resumed.

When Tori entered the classroom, just barely late, a bud of pride rose up in me. Jade instantly huffed up in surprise, but aside from her, there was a feeling of approval from the class. My pride flowered when she volunteered to lead today's group.

I was the second person she called to join her. At that point, the feeling of pride changed to shyness as I ascended the stairs to the stage.

'''

I can't decide how to think of today's events. As brave and interesting as Tori had been, she still kissed Beck solely for the purpose of irritating Jade. Jade may be always irritated anyways, but this was a little much for her, based on how she huffed out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang, leaving even Beck behind. Beck watched her go, an uncertain look on his face.

I followed Jade without a second thought, which seems to have been a mistake. I hadn't had the chance to apologize about what happened yesterday, and Jade apparently wasn't pleased. Not that Jade is ever all that pleased unless someone is in pain or something. When I found her outside in the more vacant parking lot, I called out to her, "Jaaade! Hey, you shouldn't just run off like that." My tone was all sparkles and bubbles. Which I guess don't suit Jade, in her opinion (though I like the idea myself), as she turned on me and slapped me across the face.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Get away Cat, I don't want to deal with you right now." Her eyes were intense and violent. And I saw just a hint of pain deep inside of them.

Instantly, I was bombarded with fear. Fear that my thoughtlessness would be the end of whatever was left of us, of Jade hurting me again—physically or emotionally, fear of becoming trapped in these dreadful thoughts. If things kept up like this between Jade and me, I feared thinking of joyful things could become quite difficult. I certainly couldn't pull up anything happy now.

Automatically, I cupped my injured cheek as I stuttered a somewhat broken reply, "W-what's that... supposed to mean?" She rolled those hostile eyes of hers and walked away.

I almost started after her again, but, thankfully, was distracted by one Tori Vega exiting from the building and heading to the parking lot. She noticed me suddenly, gaze locking on my swollen cheek I was tendering. Her pace quickened, and she changed courses from the parking lot towards me, her expression concerned.

As she got to me I nearly recoiled by instinct. The speed of her approach had vaguely reminded me of all the times when Jade came at me in violence. But Tori wasn't Jade, I reminded myself. Her hand reached carefully for my face, and I suppressed another instinctual fear of being hurt. Instead of the harsh touch Jade had made me so used to, Tori's fingers were gentle, soothing, seeming to draw the pain away as they softly stroked my cheek.

"Cat, what happened to you?" Tori slowly withdrew her hand. A brief look of confusion passed over her face, and she hesitated a moment before embracing me, much to my surprise. Only then did I realize that I had at some point started sobbing. I buried my face into her shoulder and let the pain take me. She cooed quietly to me, trying to help calm me down. She held me until the cries subsided, then looked me in the eyes for a long moment before deciding not to question me again for the time being. The racing fears that had been in my mind began to fade away as her warm brown eyes met mine.

'''

Thanks for reading~


	4. Invitation

Disclaimer: I only wish it was mine. A deep, nearly carnal desire. VicTORiOUS? Well, that isn't mine either, but I was talking about that banana my brother got to before I could.

A/N: Thanks again for all the support, everyone! Notifications telling me someone has faved my story or put in on their alert really brightens my day~

I am terribly sorry for the extended wait for this update. A lot was going on in my life. Including a demonic case of writer's block. And when nothing was going on, I was being lazier than I should have. I have outlines for the next few chapters done, though, so I should be uploading them during the summer.

'''

Chapter 4: Invitation

_Her eyes suddenly lost the hint of softness they usually had when we were together. It seemed as though she was the same as when I had first met her—merciless and unfeeling. Of course, I suppose that that had never really gone away in the first place. But surely, she had become gentler with me. We had been best friends, after all. I got the distinct impression that I was about to lose that position once and for all. _

_ Her voice was filled with rancor, "I doubt I even need to tell you that the feeling isn't mutual. You understand that much, right? If you don't, you're even more insane than I thought."_

_ "I... yes, I knew that," my voice quivered noticeably._

_ Her gaze sharpened, "Then why did you even bother telling me?"_

_ I shrunk under her derogatory stare. "I-I... I guess maybe I still hoped a little that maybe there was some extremely small possibility and perhaps—"_

_ "Consider that hope crushed, Cat." She paused in an uncharacteristic manner. "I'm... sorry." The words were said uncertainly—awkwardly, but at least Jade said them. At least there was that._

_ Even if there was nothing else._

Waking up from nightmares of painful memories was never an easy way to start the day.

At least the sun was shining... which also means that I'm running late. Crap.

'''

"I'm telling you, she's not just a concentrated patch of positive energy. I swear, sometimes you guys act as if she can't actually feel hurt. Beck, you're on my side, right?" Tori's voice carries from around the corner, and the frustration in it causes me to stop and listen instead of going to her. It's been nearly two weeks since Tori's transfer, and she still has refrained from bringing up the incident in the parking lot again other than asking me if I was okay the next day.

"Tori's right. A lot of people treat her that way, but you guys should know better. You guys are her friends. What if she heard the things you guys say about her sometimes?" I can hear Beck's shoes as he takes a few steps, I assume towards where Tori is.

Jade makes a little sound. I can't tell if it is upset or pleased or anything really, which tempts me to peek around the corner, but I just manage to stop myself.

"W-well, I don't mean anything bad by anything I say about her... I mean... I hope I haven't hurt her..." The next speaker is Robbie, sounding quite timid. Now I really want to know who it is everyone is talking about. It sounds like everyone is there, and Tori and Beck are on the defensive, clearly. When they say who it is, maybe I can come in on their side. Then we could be like the Three Musketeers of justice, and protect the bullied kids throughout the school. Maybe even throughout the world. I could make our costumes. We could even get amazing masks and come up with catch-phrases and code names. Code names remind me of spies, so maybe we could even work in the underground to change the world from the shadows like real heroes.

"I'm pretty sure we've all hurt her, including me, and I've only been here for two weeks," Tori continues, "But I want to try to _not_ hurt her too much."

Jade growls slightly, then finally speaks, "Cat's fine." Wait, what? "Trust me. I'll... admit that she feels pain. But so do the rest of us, Vega. And, as for myself, I like pain. Whether I feel it or cause it. Or just happen to get the pleasure of seeing it." How did this all get brought up, anyway?

"Jade, we all know how _you_ feel about pain," André responds to her with sarcasm.

"Then I don't know why Tori is bothering to pick a fight with me over this," Jade uses her rotten honey tone to enhance her point.

"I'm not picking a fight with you! Come to think of it, I was talking to André when this conversation started! I don't even know why you chose to get involved." Tori pauses, and I hear her high heeled shoes clack against the tile twice, though I'm not sure where she moved to. "Though I think we all know that you're the worst to her." Tori, you don't need to defend me! I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but you shouldn't needlessly confront someone like Jade.

Jade just laughed her mean, taunting laugh. "You don't even understand the half of that girl. At least _I've_ taken the time to really _know_ her."

Silence.

What Jade said was technically true. Though Tori also was at a time disadvantage, so the words weren't wholly fair.

"... I... You're right. You still don't treat her right, though." Tori starts off weakly, but her voice is stronger by the end.

"Ha! I'll treat her however I damn well please, Vega!" I hear Jade walk away.

No one speaks, and I feel like I shouldn't make my presence known, so I opt to get to my next class.

''''

"Cat! Hey, Cat, wait up!" Tori's voice causes me to whirl around and meet her eyes. She smiles broadly as she catches up to me. Just as I'm about to speak, she continues, "Hey, I was wondering... Um..." Her cheeks turn the lightest shade of pink, which is pretty hard to see on her tan skin. "Would you like to spend the night at my place tonight?" My eyes widen, which Tori notices, "Ah, well, I'd like to get to know you more, since you're the closest female friend I have at Hollywood Arts... Well, I guess you're the only one, since Jade hates me, but, still. And it _is_ Friday..." That pink tone becomes a bit darker.

"I'd love to!" I respond almost too quickly, and give her a light hug on impulse, grinning. Tori's shoulders relax and she hugs me back for a moment. I can feel her breath by my ear, and it somehow excites me. Then we part.

"You can come over whenever you like, all right?" She's about to leave, but I catch her wrist.

"Why don't I just come with you now, then?" That was probably a bit too forward, but it could have been worse. Score for it _not_ being worse.

She hesitates, the smile momentarily fading from her face. It soon comes back, though, and she nods. "Sure thing. What about getting your stuff? And asking your parents?"

Right. There's those things, too. "Um... Is okay if we just stop by my place along the way...?"

Tori contemplates this for a minute. "Well, that's fine with me, but Trina's the one you should be worried about. She's got the car... and the driver's license, for that matter."

"Tori. _Tori!_" Well, speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Trina rounds the corner, typically unpleasant.

"And there she is!" Tori sounds a bit annoyed by the very existence of her sister, and I can't blame her, to be honest.

Trina's eyes locked briefly on me before focusing on Tori. "Tori, what's Miss Neon Hair doing here?" I realized that we had walked out to the car as we were talking.

"I told you I was gonna ask her to have a sleepover tonight."

"Fine. Why is she here _now_?"

"She wants to just come home with us instead of waiting." Trina began to open her mouth, but Tori clapped her hand over it and continued, "She wants us to stop by her house to get her stuff." Tori removed her hand rapidly as her face twisted in disgust. "Gross! You licked my hand!"

Trina smiled smugly. "Fine. Whatever."

Tori looked over with confusion.

Trina rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Fine, we can stop by Cat's house."

Tori replied hesitantly, "What's the catch?"

The smugness of that smile increased. "Oh, it'll be fun. You get to take me shopping next week. You're paying. And you get to carry everything." Tori groaned.

Trina unlocked the car and all three of us climbed in.

'''

A/N: The next chapter will be longer. I was just having trouble finishing this one, so it ended up being a bit shorter than I thought it would be. Thanks for reading!


	5. Bonding Over Sleepless Nights

Disclaimer: VICTORiOUS ain't mine. It's Dan Schneider's. As always. The Little Mermaid isn't mine either, of course.

''''

Chapter 5: Bonding Over Sleepless Nights

Tori, Trina and I entered the Vega home, and Trina traipsed of to, I assume, her room, but the truth is, I've never been here before, so she could be going anywhere in the house. My attention quickly shifted from her and onto a set of ceramic animals in a small show case in the far corner of the room. The elephants were the most interesting, with exotic grooves carved into them. My imagination went right to work—a fantasy of small white bunnies riding on the backs of harnessed, stampeding elephants on the savanna. They could be used for domination, right?

"... at! Caaat! Hey!" Back to Tori's face. Which was right next to mine all of a sudden. My cheeks heated up. Tori looked frustrated. Right, I wasn't zoned in.

"Yeaaah? What do you want to do, Tori?" Tori backed away and headed towards the stairs as I beamed at her.

Tori smiled sweetly and replied, "Well, unfortunately, there's homework to be done... and I'd rather do it now than during the weekend, if that's okay with you, "she winced, "That homework includes Calculus. Blegh. Sorry, I might take a while... I guess we can just stop when you finish if you want."

My face lit up, "Oh my god, I could totally help you if you're bad with math!"

Tori's face was incredulous. "You? You're good... at math?" I nodded. "Uh... sorry... I... To be honest, I find that hard to believe..."

"At least let me _try_ to help." I eyed her seriously.

She sighed, "Okay. Thanks, Cat." She turned to the steps. "Let's go to my room and get to work, then, 'kay?"

I scampered after her, "KK!"

When we got to Tori's room, I couldn't help but look around at everything with acute interest. The dominant color of the room was a deep, royal purple. Tori went and opened her drawn curtains first thing. She then wandered to her large cherry-wood desk and moved her things to the sides to make room for me, and simultaneously pulled up another chair. "Here. Let's do it." She sat down and whipped her textbooks out of her bag. I followed suit and we began working.

It wasn't long before Tori was grunting, vexed. She ran her hand through her hair. Without much thought, I showed Tori my notebook. She looked at it quizzically. Right. My notes aren't easily intelligible.

"Um. Cat. I don't know what these... say?" She squinted in an attempt to decipher the doodles and numbers.

I flushed slightly, taking the book back. I was hit with an idea, and a grin spread across my face. "I'll just teach you directly, then?"

Tori gave me a cautious, wary look before finally rolling her eyes and smiling, "Sure, why not?"

As I excitedly explained the concepts to Tori, she appeared to begin to get what the numbers and variables were doing. I decided that she should try a few problems on her own to see if she was good to go yet. "How about you try to do number 8?"

Tori looked concerned for a moment, but she dutifully did the problem before tentatively showing her solution to me. To my pleasure, her work was considerably better and her answer was correct. "Yay! Good!" She smiled with sheepish pride as I praised her. "Now try and do a few more, kk? You can show me when you're finished." Tori assented and went to work. I did the same as I waited for her to either get really stuck or finish the section of problems I'd assigned to her.

Several minutes later, and this time eagerly, Tori showed me her work, and we beamed brightly at each other as I went over it and gave her feedback every step of the way.

'''''

"Why are mushrooms called mushrooms? They aren't particularly mushy. And they certainly aren't rooms. Unless maybe they are. But aren't they usually not hollow? Where would the room be?" I babbled on as Tori listened, perplexed, "What do you think, Tori?"

She sat up from her lying position on her bed as she replied, "Uh... I dunno, Cat. I... really don't. Never really thought about it..."

I smiled. "That's okay. I think about all sorts of things. I think most of what's in my head isn't in other people's heads much."

Tori's eyes light up a little bit. "Like what? What do you usually think about?" She lazily laid down on her back, her lips turning up lethargically, eyes locked on me.

Jade. I usually think about Jade. Jade is one of the few things I think about consistently. I can't very well say _that_ to Tori, however. Other than Jade, I think about nearly anything.

"Well, there's this..." I hesitated, then decided firmly not to bring up Jade. "Anything. I mean, school, family, friends—y'know, basic stuff—and beyond that just about anything. Not too many frequently recurring thoughts. But a whole lot of different ones. Oh!" My face lit up, "I do think about candy a lot!"

Tori quirked an eyebrow and chuckled. After a few moments spent in silence, Tori asked, "How 'bout you tell me some stuff about your family?"

Immediately, I jumped into story telling mode, "KK! I've got this older brother—he's fun, but kinda not right in the head—" Tori's brow contorted, "Usually, he's doing something that may not exactly be considered 'normal.' Like, this one time, we were on a double date with this girl—who he met at the dairy section of the market when he was buying this special Greek yogurt—and her younger brother, and my brother took us to a fair and he was told he couldn't get on the carousel without at least having a kid with him because he was too old, and there were a bunch of little kids lined up behind him who wanted to ride it. He got really mad and started yelling at the guy, and he grabbed him and forced his face into his totally gross armpits. Then we went to get some cotton candy. The lady selling the cotton candy turned out to be our aunt, and my brother had to stay away from her, since she has a restraining order against him because of the time he went to the zoo with her and held her tauntingly over the lion habitat. So we had to get the cotton candy without him."

Finished with my story, I smiled before remembering an important detail, "The candy was _really_ good." I felt contented, having actually completed a story about my brother without interruption.

When my eyes focused on Tori again, she looked completely befuddled. "Um... okay? That's... a weird story, Cat..."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" And there goes my catchphrase again, further confusing Tori.

"Uhh... I see that your brother isn't normal?" She offered.

"Oh, yeah!" A beat, and my eyebrows scrunched up, "Wait, I forgot which brother I was telling you about? I only remember the candy right now..."

"Uh... You have more than one brother?"

"Yeah!"

Tori smiled, a tad awkwardly, "... How many brothers? Any sisters?"

"I've got three brothers. All older. No sisters." The doorbell rang, and soon Trina called to us that Chinese food had arrived. I didn't realize we were getting take out. Come to think of it, I had yet to see Tori's parents. I frowned, "Hey, where are your mom and dad?"

Tori's face froze for a fraction of a second before she answered with a too-happy demeanor, "Oh, they should be here sometime soon, I think. They, um... they go out a lot."

I stared at Tori curiously for a moment, then simply nodded as we got up and went back downstairs.

''''

About halfway through dinner, Tori's parents made their appearance. They were nothing much to speak of, physically, which surprised me a tad, given how beautiful their daughters were—especially Tori. Tori's mother halted in shock as she took in my vibrant red hair.

"Whoa." She glanced at Tori, who was watching her while bringing her chopsticks to her mouth. "Well. You must be Cat."

I smiled warmly as I affirmed, "Yep! I'm Cat. You must be Tori's parents? Thanks for letting me spend the night!"

Her eyes still bugged out, her mother responded distractedly, "Tori wasn't exaggerating about your hair."

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" I tried not to say it, and I kept as much vigor out of my voice as possible, but I couldn't help but let this response slip.

She looked at my eyes, "That your hair is very, very red."

I immediately calmed down again, "Oh, yeah! Like a red velvet cupcake!"

She gave me a peevish, unconvincing smile as she and Tori's dad sat down at the other end of the table, taking Chinese food as they passed us girls.

Tori placed her chopsticks down and adjusted her glasses, clearing her throat. "So, it's been established that this is Cat. Cat, this is my mom, Holly, and my dad, David." She took up her sticks once more, "There! Now that we're all buddy-buddy, let's keep eating." There was something vaguely odd about the way Tori said this, but I was too distracted by suddenly noticing that we had fortune cookies to give it more than a moment's thought.

It didn't take long for Trina to start loudly telling her parents about some shoes she'd seen online and why she needed to have them.

After I finished my main dish, I promptly reached for a fortune cookie. I bit it open, pulling the fortune out while I chewed half of the cookie. I giggled at myself before reading my fortune.

_Dark times will soon befall you._

My face fell. What could this mean? Things were only just beginning to look up, but they would get bad again so soon? Tori was staring at me with knitted eyebrows, and I quickly shook off the anxiety of the fortune, raising my eyebrows and sticking my tongue out playfully at Tori. I crumpled up the slip of paper and slid it into my pocket for the time being.

"Tori, you should look at your fortune!" I snatched another cookie and handed it to her.

She eyed the cookie briefly, chortled, and cracked it open. She looked at it queerly, then her lips turned up and she chuckled softly again.

"Oh, did you get a good one? Can I read it?" My hand was on her shoulder.

"Sure. I don't totally get it, but it doesn't seem like a bad thing." She held the paper out and I read it.

_Your powerful emotions may cause trouble now, but later will bring you great fortune._

I didn't entirely get her fortune either. "Huh." I didn't know what else to say.

"What does yours say?" Tori frowned, "Wait, where _is_ yours, Cat?"

I fidgeted and glanced away. "I didn't like mine."

"No? Why? What's it say?"

An idea popped into my head, "Why don't we have a movie marathon?" I said, partly to distract Tori.

Tori was perturbed, but she nodded. "Sure, sounds fun. Anything in particular you wanna watch?"

''''

After finishing our second movie, Tori was markedly sleepy. I was about to offer for us to go to bed, when Tori unexpectedly spoke, though her words were lightly slurred, "So, Cat. Do you know what you wanna do once we graduate from Hollywood Arts?" Our eyes met as I turned towards her curiously. She was still sprawled leisurely across the couch with her glasses having fallen off, laying discarded on the floor.

"I wanna meet mythical creatures." Well, that probably wasn't what she wanted to know, but it was the first thing I thought of that I actually wished I could do. Tori was clearly puzzled by my response. "Well, um, I especially want to meet a leprechaun..." Her expression told me that this specification hadn't helped her understand in the least.

"Cat, you know that mythical creatures are... well... _mythical_, right? They aren't real."

I knew that. But I still hoped—no, I still believed that they weren't all completely made up of lies. I had to believe that. It made life more magical. Nonetheless, I nodded slightly towards Tori, whose sharp eyes softened back to normal as she relaxed more.

"... Why leprechaun?" I glanced at Tori, not entirely comprehending her question. She clarified, "Why do you want to meet leprechauns specifically? I would've thought you were more of a unicorn person."

I couldn't resist grinning at that. "I am. Definitely. I love unicorns. I think a leprechaun could help me with something, though."

Tori sure has that confused look on her face a lot around me. I guess most people do, actually. Not getting her confusion, I opted to get more comfortable as we talked, leaning back into the couch with a small sigh.

"Um... How could a leprechaun 'help' you?"

Instantly, I stiffened up, realizing that I was making myself more vulnerable than I'd intended to. My eyes snapped back onto Tori's, and I felt the hostility in them. She automatically recoiled at the intensity of my eyes.

"S-sorry. You don't hav'ta tell me." She looked almost hurt, but still more startled than anything. This was the first time Tori had seen me like that. It was different than when I said WTSTM. My eyes had uncovered even more than I'd already put out there, too. Which was obviously not helpful. However, the longer I looked at Tori, the more I relaxed. And it wasn't like I had to tell her everything just to answer her question satisfactorily.

I smiled weakly at her. "No, it's okay. I'm sorry. Um. I feel like a leprechaun could help me be... set free? It's kinda hard to explain." Tori's eyes silently probed for more information, but she carefully kept her mouth shut, not wanting to pry. I exhaled deeply. "Um. You know how I'm kind of crazy sometimes? Like, really crazy, not just teenager crazy?"

Tori frowned and started, "I don't thi—"

"No, no. It's fine. I know it's true." She pursed her lips discontentedly, but held her peace. "Sometimes, it's a bit harder to deal with than others. I've got this theory that a leprechaun's rainbow could... fix me. Make it all better."

Tori just gazed at me thoughtfully for a long time, her eyebrows wrinkled together. At long last, she sighed in exasperation and spoke, "Cat, you don't need to be fixed," she sat up and turned my torso towards her, holding my shoulders firmly, "You're wonderful just the way you are, okay? You don't have to feel like you need to change."

Her loving brown eyes connected to mine with sincerity, and heat rushed to my cheeks. Naturally, I leaned in just a tiny bit before catching myself and staying back. At my minuscule lean, Tori nevertheless moved her arms around me and hugged me gently for a long moment.

When we separated, her lips turned up, "So, what do you want to watch next? It's only 10:30—the night is still young."

"How about we get into our pajamas first?" Tori agreed, and we went to different rooms to change. I came out of the bathroom wearing soft red and pink pajamas and wandered back downstairs to meet Tori. She was wearing cute blue and white flannel pajamas with designs I couldn't quite make out on them. And she had braided her hair into soft pigtails that lay on her shoulders. She was putting her glasses back on when I found her.

We selected another movie, watched it. Then yet another movie. By the end of this fourth movie, Tori and I were wide awake, giddy with sleeplessness. We hardly watched the last twenty minutes of the show, instead laughing at everything on the screen. When the credits began rolling, Tori stood up to put the DVD away. Her foot got caught in a blanket and she face-planted.

Tori laughed gleefully as she spied something under her couch. She nabbed it, revealing a fancy slide whistle. She showed it to me happily, "Cat, we should make a video with this in it!"

"Sure!" Tori started trying to play the whistle, causing both of us to break down laughing. We scrambled into Tori's kitchen. She snagged a video camera and set it up. We didn't really plan what to do in the video—we just laughed together as we gathered a bunch of miscellaneous items to play with during it.

Tori turned the camera on as we giggled incessantly, messing with the slide whistle. After a few seconds, Tori tried to get us to behave seriously. I teasingly agreed with her, and she gives the camera a long, odd look, which caused me to burst out laughing again.

I was suddenly dissatisfied with how the video was going, "I wanna start over."

Tori gives me a wicked grin, "No! There's no do-overs!"

"No do-overs?"

"There's no do-overs," She wagged her finger at me and was laughing again, "Not now, not ever!" I joined her laughter.

"It's 3'00 in the morning."

Without a thought, I thrust my arm in the air and cheered, "A.M!"

Tori was clearly amused by my behavior. I wanted her to keep smiling, so I decided to mimic a strange accent, "It's time to talk like dis."

Tori gave me a look as if she actually knew what I meant. Honestly, even _I _didn't know what I meant. She replied in an equally odd accent, "Ooh! It's that time already!"

I was so pleased with her response that I couldn't help but reach over and hug her while she continued to cackle. Tori clicked the camera off, her laughter having become all together uncontrollable. I joined her again, loving the joy in her eyes. "S-sorry, Cat. I just need a minute." She could barely get the words out around her guffaws, and she mindlessly tried to adjust her glasses. As she collected herself, I remembered a trinket I had brought along, and I went to grab my orange airplane-shaped telephone.

We turned the camera back on, and I offered to do a prank call using my phone. Tori called me out on there being no one on the other end, and I whispered to her that I was playing a joke on her. Tori enjoyed this. Shortly after, I handed the slide whistle back to Tori, "Play me a tune." Tori chortled at my tone, which was reminiscent of Sebastian from The Little Mermaid. She then played the whistle, and we soon ended the nonsensical video.

Tori was going to put the camera away, but she once again got her foot caught on something, causing her to fall. Only this time, she fell on top of me. She lifted herself onto her arms, but her face remained very near to my own.

Redness invaded both of our faces, and Tori made a movement to try and get off of me, but I put my arms around her and pulled her into a hug instead. She was tense at first, but soon enough she was back into the state of endless laughter.

"Hey, wanna watch one last movie?" Tori stood and took my hand to help me up as she asked.

"KK. Are we going to sleep at all tonight?" I looked at the clock in her kitchen, now reading 3:48 A.M.

As I was letting go of Tori's hand, she lingered, reluctant to let go. When she finally did, she beamed up at me, "No, I do not believe sleep was a part of the plan."

Mere minutes into the movie, Tori and I had fallen asleep, my head resting on her shoulder, and her head on mine. A dreamy smile on my face. A perfect ending to a wonderful day.

'''''

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading! Sorry again for the super long wait. But, hey, this chapter is more than twice the length of most of the other chapter's, so maybe that'll help make it feel better. The video I referenced is, of course, part of The Funny Nugget Show, a Cat and Tori video series on theSlap. This may not fit in with the canonical chronology of the creation of that video, but if it doesn't, we can just say that they made it this night, but maybe Tori didn't upload it for a while. Love you guys Thanks again for your patience and support =)


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